Architect Yu Kongjian speaks during an interview at his firm's office in Beijing, Oct. 21, 2022. Photo: VCG

In response to a media inquiry about the latest updates on a tragic plane crash that took away Peking University Professor Yu Kongjian's life in Brazil and how the work on handling the incident is going, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday that the safety of Chinese nationals overseas is always a top priority for the Chinese government. The ministry is working with the Brazilian side to handle well relevant matters.

Once again we extend our deepest condolences over the passing of Professor Yu Kongjian and the Brazilian personnel onboard the plane. The ministry will direct our embassy in Brazil to do their utmost to ensure that all related matters will be properly treated, said the spokesperson.

Chinese landscape architect Yu, who was also dean and professor at Peking University's College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, died in a plane crash on Tuesday in the Brazilian wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent his condolences, calling him "a global reference with the sponge cities which combine quality of life and environmental protection."

Yu, 62, gained global relevance as a landscape architect and urban planner after the Chinese government adopted his concept of "sponge cities" using nature-based solutions to absorb and retain water instead of concrete infrastructure to channel it away, according to Reuters.

Brazilian authorities confirmed that Yu and three other people, the pilot and two local filmmakers, were killed when the aircraft they were travelling in crashed in a rural area near the town of Aquidauana, in the Pantanal wetlands, the report said.

"It was with sadness and dismay that I received the news of the plane crash," President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a statement.

"In times of climate change, Kongjian Yu became a global reference with the sponge cities which combine quality of life and environmental protection," he added.

Global Times